MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/. Over 60% of Russians find jokes about tragic events unacceptable, according to a survey conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM).
"The top 5 taboo topics for jokes include genocide, epidemics, terrorist attacks (61%), tragedies of loved ones (59%), war (58%), appearance, illness, physical injuries (57%) and death (56%)," the research data on the organization's website shows.
During the survey, the overwhelming majority (79%) reported that ethical standards should be more important than freedom of expression in humor. Almost half of respondents (47%) noted that it is forbidden to joke about religious values, as well as about national differences (34% of respondents voiced this opinion).
Also, 41% of survey participants considered jokes about the experiences of others to be unacceptable. Almost the same percentage (40%) noted that it is forbidden to joke about the standard of living and low income of other people, and a quarter (25%) of respondents reported that they consider it inappropriate to joke about someone else's level of education and literacy.
Russians were slightly more tolerant of jokes on personal topics. About 27% reported that it is forbidden to joke about personal life, 18% considered humor about a person's occupation to be inappropriate, and jokes about physical appearance and hobbies were called unacceptable by 14% and 12%, respectively.
The All-Russian VCIOM-Sputnik telephone survey was conducted on March 23, 2025, among 1,600 Russians over the age of 18.